July 9, 2026

More Than a Game

Rady Children’s Patients Experience a Field Trip Like No Other at Padres Spring Training For a group of teens from Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, a recent trip to Padres spring training in Arizona was about much more than baseball. For these 19 patients of the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, it was…

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June 25, 2026

Redefining Pediatric Cancer Care at Rady Children’s

Inside the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders Cancer. It’s a diagnosis no family wants to hear. And, unfortunately, it’s one that affects approximately 15,000 kids in the U.S. every year. About 300 of those newly diagnosed kids are treated at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. The Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders…

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April 4, 2026

Kannon’s Story: Finding hope in the hardest moments

Kannon’s Story Finding hope in the hardest moments Last year, the day after Christmas, we received news no parent is ever prepared to hear. Our 2-year-old son, Kannon, had cancer. In the weeks leading up to the holidays, nothing quite added up. Kannon had one illness after another. Daily high fevers that sometimes climbed over…

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March 22, 2026

From Patient to Physician: A childhood cancer diagnosis and care at Rady Children’s shaped a young doctor’s career

Turning a Diagnosis Into a Calling A childhood cancer diagnosis and care at Rady Children’s shaped a young doctor’s career When Alexis Doll was 15, her life changed forever. After months of persistent pain in her right knee, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. She was referred to the Peckham Center…

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February 3, 2026

Ian’s Story of Strength Through Rare Disease and Recovery

Ian’s Story: Strength, Family and Specialized Care Meet Ian, the youngest of three brothers diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called ataxia telangiectasia (AT), which affects the nervous and immune systems, balance and coordination. Ian was also the second of the three boys to be diagnosed with leukemia at a young age. For years, he…

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February 2, 2026

Finding Strength, Sharing Hope: Karen’s Story

Karen’s Story: Strength, Hope and a Second Chance When you meet Karen, the first thing you notice is her smile. It’s the kind of smile that makes you feel lighter, seen and welcomed. It’s no surprise, then, that one of the mottos she lives by is simple but powerful: “Give a smile to the world.…

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February 1, 2026

Ariana’s Journey: Finding Strength, Joy and Hope at Rady Children’s

Ariana’s Story: Joy, Strength and the Power of Taking It Day by Day When you meet Ariana, the first thing you notice is her bright spirit. At just 6 years old, she loved nothing more than playing with her cats and taking afternoon walks with her family in the Coachella Valley. As the youngest of…

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January 3, 2026

From Saipan to San Diego: Leon Beats Leukemia and Heads Home Healthy

Leon’s Story Congratulations to Leon, who is now cancer-free. Leon was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 14 years old at a hospital in Saipan, where he and his family are from. When they learned he needed specialized care beyond what was available locally, Leon and his father, Leo, began a journey that would bring…

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January 3, 2026

Meet Ruby and Luke, Brave Fighters Who Beat Leukemia at Rady Children’s

Ruby and Luke’s Story: Two Siblings, Two Journeys, One Incredible Family Meet Ruby and her big brother, Luke — two brave fighters who beat leukemia. Luke’s Diagnosis Luke was diagnosed the day after Christmas in 2018 at just 8 years old. What followed were nine long months of treatment, appointments and uncertainty. Then came the…

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January 3, 2026

From Leukemia to Living Life Fully: Max’s Journey of Courage

Max’s Story: Strength, Joy and a Smile That Never Faded Max was just 4 years old when he was diagnosed with leukemia. Those first months were the hardest, and watching his little body go through such intense treatment was heartbreaking. But through it all, Max showed unbelievable strength, courage and a smile that could light…

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June 16, 2025

My Second Chance: A Journey Through My Liver Cancer and Transplant

Read Mikey’s first-hand account of his battle with cancer and his journey to recovery. Hi, my name is Mike—but everyone calls me Mikey. I’m 20 years old, the oldest of five siblings, and family has always been the heart of my world. I love football, basketball, fishing, and sharing good meals with the people I…

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April 23, 2025

How One Family’s Cancer Journey Sparked a Legacy of Support

From Hospital Hallways to a Parent’s Fight for Hope My experience with Children’s began 40 years ago as a nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. We cared for the sickest children—from open-heart surgeries to severe traumas and life-threatening illnesses. I was proud to be part of a team that provided such extraordinary care. But…

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April 22, 2025

Here’s to Volunteers

The Lafleur family’s support for Rady Children’s spans three generations Volunteers are the unsung heroes of Rady Children’s. They work throughout the Hospital and its satellite locations, doing administrative tasks, assisting staff and working directly with patients and families. For many volunteers, Rady Children’s becomes a home away from home, and giving back becomes something…

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February 14, 2025

Bailey the Brave

Beating Ewing Sarcoma at Rady Children’s Fifteen-year-old Bailey, a sophomore at Cathedral Catholic High School, loves shopping at the mall, listening to music, hanging out with friends, and playing soccer. But last year, her life took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer. In February,…

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October 11, 2024

Thicker Than Water

Young Patients Bond Over Shared Blood Disorder, Treatment at Rady Children’s Ella Martinez and Kamila Saradpon consider each other sisters. They hang out together, laugh, share secrets, and play games. They even went to school together for a time. They celebrate each other’s wins and encourage each other to keep going during tough times, as…

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September 13, 2023

Courageous Dreams: Noah’s Journey Through Leukemia

Noah’s Story Noah is a six-year-old boy with boundless energy and a heart full of dreams. “Noah loves baseball, soccer and all things related to construction workers, firefighters and police officers,” shares his mom, Charlotte. “He wants to be all three professions when he grows up, so he’s going to be busy!” Noah’s mom is…

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February 13, 2023

Jonathan’s Story

Sixteen-year-old Jonathan wanted to be a pediatrician when he “grew up” and was excited to be accepted into Rady Children’s Medical Academy, a program that provides high-school age students with unique and exciting opportunities to explore the world of health care through lectures, skills clinics, hands-on activities, group projects, career panels and interactive discussions. Every…

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October 10, 2022

A Girl of Many Talents – Liv’s Story

Liv, a busy and curious 13-year-old, can recite the numbers of pi up to 50 digits. She can also recognize an icosagon, or 20-sided shape. She’s an artist, a published author and is learning Chinese. Liv agrees that she has accomplished many things in her young life, but beating cancer was a life-changer. Read more.

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September 26, 2022

Honoring Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know that every 3 minutes a family hears the devastating news that their child has cancer? That’s nearly 16,000 kids each year that must spend time in a hospital versus a playground or art class. During treatment, it’s important for kids to get to be kids as much as possible. Rady Children’s Hospital-San…

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April 19, 2022

Getting to Know: Christina Baker, PsyD, clinical psychologist

The American Psychological Association recognizes the third week in April as Psychology Week. Psychologists often wear many hats and can specialize in health care, education, research, workplace improvement and technology. Psychologists at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego are working in both inpatient and outpatient settings to ensure they are meeting the behavioral health needs of patients…

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September 5, 2019

Getting to Know: Jenny Kim, MD — Director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center

Around the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, Jenny Kim, MD, is a familiar face to patients and families, staff, and up-and-coming health care professionals alike. As director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center and a clinical professor of pediatrics at University of California San Diego School of Medicine,…

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December 21, 2018

Getting to Know: Karen Miller, B.S.N., R.N., C.E.N. – Neuro-Oncology Case Manager at the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders

Karen Miller, B.S.N., R.N., C.E.N., (pictured in the birthday hat with some of her neuro-oncology teammates), has been a nursing pro for the past 12 years, and has been overseeing all aspects of brain tumor cases at Rady Children’s Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders since June 2018. We chatted with the San Diego…

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November 21, 2018

The Bedtime Cart: Creating Sweeter Dreams for Rady Children’s Patients

It’s a Wednesday night. The lights in the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego are low, and a lull has fallen over halls that were full of hustle and bustle just a few hours ago. But in the midst of the evening quiet, there’s still activity afoot. From patient…

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